The Fight for Freedom
by Sailor Elf
Summary: When a supposedly extinct reptile shows up in New Tronic City, followed by a dominating alien species, Big Guy and company try and find a way to stop them. What they find, is that not all problems can be easily solved.
1. Return of an Old Friend

Discalimer - Don't own the Big Guy or any other character. They'll never belong to me although any unfamiliar people and places are mine though.

Summary - A supposedly extinct reptile attacks New Tronic City, following the orders of a new alien enemy. Meanwhile, an old friend of Jo's returns to the place she grew up.

00000

The Fight for Freedom

A creature flew through the skies of New Tronic City, screeching as it did. It crashed right into a few buildings as it flew by them in the semi-darkness.

The Big Guy piloted the Legend 1 towards the creature.

"This baby's right in my sights," he said.

Missiles were aimed right at the monster and were fired. The monster simply dodged them with the greatest of ease. Hunter was a bit surprised with this.

Rusty flew over to the Legend 1. He stayed hovering beside it as he looked at the pterodactyl.

"Whoa! What kind of creature is that Big Guy?" he asked.

The creature screeched again and pointed a wing at the Big Guy as he flew out of the Legend 1.

"It somewhat looks like a pterodactyl, a prehistoric reptile that became extinct millions of years ago," Big Guy replied.

"Be warned robots. I will be back to destroy you," the pterodactyl screeched at them just before leaving. "Be warned for this planet will suffer greatly."

Both Big Guy and Rusty were very surprised by this.

00000

Back on the Dark Horse, Dwayne climbed out to meet Jo and Mack.

"Dwayne, what was that thing which just attacked the city? And before dawn?" asked Jo, yawning.

"Don't know exactly but it definitely has intelligence, despite the fact it looks like a pterodactyl," replied Dwayne, taking off his helmet.

Garth walked in, reading a newspaper and eating a muffin.

"What're you reading now?" asked Mack, walking up to him.

Garth looked up from the article and smiled.

"Oh I'm just reading an article about the fact Czarina is coming back to New Tronic City," he told them, returning to the article.

"Who?" asked Mack, confused. "Never heard of her."

"Czarina Mills. She started her singing career here. She actually was born here and grew up here before hitting it big time just after high school," explained Jo.

Both Dwayne and Garth were surprised with this knowledge that Jo had.

"How do you know...?" asked Garth.

"Come on you guys. Can't a girl know a famous star from when they were in school together?" she asked them.

"You? Know Czarina?" Dwayne asked.

"Yes, I do. We were best friends all throughout school. Always acted the same, always talked the same everything. We were so predictable, we could always tell what the other was thinking or was about to do at any given time. That was until she disappeared for three months. After that, she became so unpredictable it's not even funny. One would never know what she was going to do next," she explained. "Not only that, one rarely saw her for she disappeared for hours on end."

She sighed as they all headed toward the door.

"That's all in the past though. I'm just glad we'll be seeing her again," Jo told them. "She won't give up the chance of seeing me again. I know her way too well."

00000

At Quark, the four met up with Doctor Slate and General Thorton.

"So what is this new threat?" asked General Thorton.

"This creature appears to be of alien origin but its structure appears to resemble Earth origin. It most resembles the pterodactyl, a prehistoric lizard which became extinct over 65 million years ago. The only known differences so far is that this one has the ability to talk and has obvious intelligence," Doctor Slate told them.

"Then its origin is impossible to determine unless we catch it alive and have it tell us where it came from," Lieutenant Hunter said.

"Both the Big Guy and Rusty have to be on full alert from now on. We have to catch this thing before it hurts innocent people!" Thorton ordered.

Hunter, Jo, Mack, Garth and Slate walked out of the building. A figure walked in front of them, causing them to stop. Jo smiled as she saw exactly who it was.

"Long time no see old friend. How long has it been?" Czarina told her.

"Czarina, I knew you'd come visit me. It's been years," Jo said, laughing as she walked up to her.

Czarina was about the size of Jo. Her black hair laid halfway down her back. Her blue eyes glimmered in the sunlight. She was wearing a red t-shirt and black pants. They gave each other a hug and both laughed.

"Who is this young woman, Lieutenant?" asked the doctor.

"An old friend of Jo's. She's a well known singer and she also plays piano," replied the lieutenant.

"It's great to see you again 'Rina. It's been a very long time," Jo said.

"Hasn't it been?" replied Czarina. "Done anything crazy lately?"

"Great and no, nothing crazy lately. At least nothing like your crazy antics. Forget that.I want you to meet my friends. Czarina, this is Mack, Garth, Doctor Erica Slate and Lieutenant Dwayne Hunter," introduced Jo.

Czarina shook hands with all of them as Rusty happened to fly above them. He looked down, saw Czarina and flew down to them.

"Hey, you're Czarina, the singer. I've always wanted to meet you," he happily cried, his hands together.

"Come on Rusty. You can talk to her later," Slate told her.

"That's right Rusty. I'll be back to give you my autograph and talk to you another time. Can't let the fans down," Czarina reassured him.

00000

Hunter, Mack, Jo, Garth and Czarina left for a nearby café.

"She was continuously playing pranks on everybody, though she never played the exact same one twice. The only time she did was if it was a really, really good one. One good enough to get into her top ten of all-time best pranks," Jo told them, laughing.

"Like for instance, I once got the school bully Charles Mars with probably my best prank ever. For about five months, I worked on this costume. When I was finished it, it looked like a flying lizard…" started Czarina.

"Which, might I add, was very, _very_ realistic looking," put in Jo.

"I had Jo and several other friends set up a rig in the caféteria and we pretended I was an alien from outer space, here to abduct him and suck his brains out," finished Czarina.

Everybody laughed out loud.

"I tell you, everybody in the entire school knew about this except Charles and his friends. He was so bad towards the other students, everybody was so happy he got this. He hadn't bullied anyone since. If I remember right, didn't you almost get expelled…?" Jo added.

"Don't worry about these 'small' details my friend. It felt good to get back at them despite the fact it almost cost me the year," Czarina told her.

Dwayne looked at her with a slightly suspicious look. Something in the back of his head was nagging at him but he didn't know what.

_'What am I supposed to be worried about?'_ he asked himself.

00000

During this time, an alien ship hovered in orbit overhead the Earth. The leader stood up from his chair and looked at the others. He was a giant beetle only more humanlike.

"How is the patient from this planet doing?" the captain asked.

As he looked around, the animal crewmembers continued on with their work.

"She is doing just fine but she should soon get rid of this world's protectors. I'm talking about these two robots right here," replied the dog crewmember as he pointed at the screen.

As the picture became clearer, the picture was of Big Guy and Rusty.

"Contact her immediately. With her out into the open, these two 'heroes of justice' will come for her," Hapar ordered.

00000

In the café, a soft beeping came from a cell phone in Czarina's pocket. She grabbed it and placed it on her ear. They watched her as she began to talk to the person on the other end.

"I'm so sorry guys, I've got to go. Even here, I can't get off work," she told them.

They watched her go. Garth shook his head as he looked at Jo.

"Was she really like that? Was she really the class prankster? It simply doesn't seem like her. I don't think'll she ever return to that stage now," he told her.

"Don't count on it Garth. She can be her old self whenever she wants to be," Jo warned him, smiling.

Suddenly, Lieutenant Hunter heard a familiar screech coming from outside.

"It's that pterodactyl creature! Let's go!" he cried.

They rushed to get the Big Guy.

00000

The Big Guy soon showed up at the scene with Rusty.

"What does it want?" wondered Rusty.

"The Oleaftars want to claim your measly planet to call their own. I am here to lead their troops into the conquering of Earth. This planet will be theirs for I am Tera!" the pterodactyl cried.

"The Oleaftars?" wondered a confused lieutenant from inside the Big Guy. "Must have some strange army then."

Tera was eight feet long. Her wingspan stretched almost fifteen fee and she was a dark green in colour.

"Prepare to be destroyed!" screamed Tera, diving at the Big Guy.

A huge alien spacecraft appeared in the sky and several figures came out of it.

"My name is Captain Hapar. Tera is under my command. What we say, she does. Tera, be a dear and rip those machines into pieces. Those two robots are the only things standing in our way of victory of this planet," ordered the captain.

Her eyes became red for a second and she growled.

"Yes, master. I will do as you ask," she complied.

She attacked them, catching them totally off guard. Out of nowhere, two figures appeared on the ground.

"Hapar!" one cried.

"Oh, it's only you two. I really wondered when you'd get here? You're too late this time. You simply can't save her now Justin. She's mine," Hapar yelled back.

"I'll bring her around. Tera, listen to me. You don't have to do this. We can still help you," Justin called to Tera.

She looked at him for what seemed like an eternity. She looked back at Hapar. She seemed a bit confused.

"I want… to listen… to Justin… and Jennifer…except… force is… commanding otherwise. Help me," she stuttered quietly while hanging onto the Big Guy.

Dwayne heard this and gasped.

"She's being controlled by that evil alien," he said to himself.

"Lieutenant Hunter, what's happening?" came the general's voice.

His face appeared on a screen overhead,

"General, this creature is not evil. Somebody else is controlling her. It's an alien named Hapar. There are two other aliens here to help her," explained the lieutenant.

"Well, get her under control and bring this creature, along with these two friendly aliens, here. We'll help them and I want answers," General Thorton replied just before the screen went blank.

Outside, Rusty flew up to Tera. She was shaking all over.

"Whoa, talk about confusion," he said.

Dwayne watched as the cat named just lifted up a gun. He fired it and a spray of sparks showered around him and Tera. Dwayne found himself receiving some mild shocks from the controls. He watched as he let go of Big Guy and fell to the ground.

"No!" screamed Hapar. "What have you done?"

The other cat ran up to Tera and broke a machine behind Tera's ear,a few sparks flying about.

"Justin, it's destroyed," Jennifer called over to her fellow cat.

"See now Hapar? You can no longer control her. She is free from the likes of you," Justin yelled up to him.

"Maybe I don't control her anymore and we can't take over this planet just yet but you're forgetting one small detail Justin; she still has to live with this torment forever!" Hapar replied, laughing.

Big Guy lifted up his arms, the guns popping out. Bullets flew everywhere.

"Retreat!" screamed Hapar.

As they headed back to the ship, a few of them got shot with bullets.

"You'll pay for this sooner or later. Believe me, you will," Hapar told Big Guy as everyone climbed inside.

He followed them and they flew off into the sky.

Big Guy and Rusty flew to Tera where Justin and Jennifer were already by there by her side.

"Tera, wake up, it's us. You're free from his control and we're here to help," Justin whispered to her.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at them.

"Now, go to our temporary quarters. We'll meet you there because there's we still have work to do here," Jennifer quietly told her.

Tera nodded her head and took flight. She headed off into the night sky. Jennifer and Justin turned to Big Guy once she was out of sight.

"Big Guy, we are from a distant planet called Oleafaria. Believe it or not but right now, you're the only hope of Tera regaining anything of her former life back. You have to help her. Big Guy, _please_," pleaded Justin.

"Me? Why me?" Big Guy wondered.

"We'll explain on another occasion. Only then, will you certainly understand what we mean. Now, we must go help Tera recuperate for the next battle. They will come back and try to reclaim her," replied Jennifer.

The two cats left, leaving Big Guy and Rusty slighty confused.

Rusty went back to Quark where he started to play his game.

00000

Doctor Slate was already on the Dark Horse where she met up with Garth, Mack and Lieutenant Hunter.

"What's wrong Lieutenant?" asked the doctor.

"Nothing's wrong, why?" he replied.

"You seem very quiet, that's what she's _talking_ about. Did they say something that upset you?" Mack told him.

Hunter sighed.

"You're right, they did say something. Those two alien cats were saying that the Big Guy was that pterodactyl's only hope of regaining her life back. They said they would explain later but I don't know what to think. It's strange though. It was almost as if they were talking to _me_ and not to the Big Guy," he explained. "I wonder...? No! They can't possibly know."

Jo walked up to them.

"Have any of you guys seen Czarina? She disappeared right before the battle and I haven't heard from her since," she asked them.

The four shook their heads. Jo sighed and walked away.

"It looks like she's doing her disappearing act again. Things haven't changed at a bit since that year," the four heard her say. "Oh Czarina."

"What do you think it means?" Hunter askd Slate.

"I'm not sure yet but we'll need time to fit everything together. This puzzle's missing a few pieces and we need to find them," replied Slate.

Justin and Jennifer watched from a window.

"Do you think he's one of the right ones for this?" wondered Jennifer.

"Yes, I actully do. I'm pretty sure. Him and her. They are the only ones who can save our dear Tera. He has something in common with her, he just doesn't realize it yet. Alas, the time will come when someone decides to visit us in the near future. We must be very careful for everybody's sake," replied Justin before they jumped onto Tera's back and left.

00000

Hapar paced back and forth within his ship. He looked very angry as a member of his crew walked up to him. The dog looked over his leader and sighed.

"What is wrong Captain?" he asked.

"Tera. She is no longer under our control but I know we can get her back. At the moment, there's only way I can think of to bring her out into open and that's by taking myself out into the open," Hapar replied.

Th crewmember nodded his head.

"We should recapture her soon then. I don't think we have much time left," the dog told him.

"No, we don't. That is why we have to strike soon," Hapar replied, snarling.

TBC...


	2. A Secret Revealed

A few days later, Hapar was attacking New Tronic City. Big Guy and Rusty stopped before him.

"It's been some time now Big Guy. Let's take it out here and now. I will not take this lightly. Tera is mine," he cried at them. "

"We'll duke it out but not here. I say let's go at it north of here. It's a wooded area and nobody will get hurt," Big Guy replied.

"Alright," agreed Hapar as they headed to the north.

Once there, a field of trees beneath them, they started to fight. The guns popped out of Big Guy's arms and bullets flew but Hapar dodged them all.

"Good-bye forever, Big Guy," he said, laughing as he lunged at lunged at the robot. "I have been waiting for this since the moment we first met."

From inside, Dwayne put on a horrified look as Hapar kicked a hole through the hull. Hapar's foot hit one of the gears, trapping Dwayne's leg badly.

"Hunter to base, I'm in trouble here," he said, pain obvious in his voice.

The general's face appeared on a screen.

"I'll send help immediately and send the boy robot back," he ordered and Dwayne nodded his head.

"Kid, get out of here. There's no sense for the two of us to get caught," Big Guy told Rusty.

"But Big Guy..." Rusty started to protest.

"Go!" ordered Big Guy.

Rusty flew towards Quark, looking back as did so. Hapar lunged at Big Guy again. This time, he hit the power core, causing the power to drain from everything. Big Guy fell to the ground, causing Dwayne's upper body to fall forward, his leg twisting around. He screamed out in pain. Hapar looked at the robot and snickered.

"Okay everybody, let's go reclaim our lost soldier," he told the crew as he climbed back into the captain's chair.

Lieutenant Hunter pulled his leg free and climbed out of the hatch. He stood up only to fall back down again in intense pain. He breathed heavily as he slowly crawled over to a nearby tree. Once there, he closed his eyes and fell unconscious.

00000

"Where is our soldier's position now?" asked Hapar.

"Position is uncertain but we can no doubt find her soon with the scanners," replied Jewel. "She is nearby."

"Go out and split up. You'll cover more ground that way. The dog will keep an eye on the scanners," ordered Hapar.

Jewel nodded and called for some to follow her and they immediately left.

00000

"Dwayne, come in! Dwayne!" Garth cried out.

"What's the problem Garth?" asked Mack, who just walked in with Jo.

"Dwayne's not answering. Something must have happened out there. We have to find him," replied Garth as General Thorton's face appeared on the screen.

"Where's Lieutenant Hunter?" he asked.

The three looked at each other sadly.

Within minutes, the Pit Crew, Thorton and Doctor Slate met up with each other.

"He did give me a distress signal not too long before I got in contact with you three. We have to find him before anybody else does," Thorton told the Pit Crew. "Unless you find him, I'll have to call him missing in action."

"Is everybody ready?" asked Slate.

The others nodded.

00000

Hunter groaned and opened his eyes. He bolted up and found himself in a cave. He heard faint humming from across the cave and he tried to stand up. He fell back down in pain and remembered what happened. He put a hand over his eyes.

"Don't try to move. You broke your leg kind of badly," came a voice.

Hunter recognized the voice as he took his hand away. He saw Tera walking towards him on all fours.

"A pterodactyl walking on all fours? I simply don't believe it," he mumbled.

"If you need anything, just ask," she said.

He shook his head and looked at his leg. There was a wooden splint on it, tied on with rope.

"My name is Tera, what's yours?" she introduced.

"Lieutenant Dwayne Hunter," he replied, holding out his hand.

What she did next amazed him. She brought out an arm from the support of her wing and took his hand. Now she looked like a bird with arms, only a reptile instead. He noticed a hard white streak on her arm. She noticed him looking.

"Oh, that's the bone for support in my wings," she said, taking out her other arm.

"Now that's just gross," he said, trying not to look at them.

"You haven't seen half the things that I've seen," she told him, putting her arms back into where they went.

"I've got a question for you; how did you get here in the first place? I mean, those aliens came just after you showed up," he asked.

"How did I get here?" she repeated, starting to laugh. "You're asking me how I got here?"

Dwayne looked at her strangely as she continued with her hysterical laughter.

"Did I miss something here?" he asked.

"Lieutenant, I didn't come here, I was - already here when they arrived," she told him, trying to calm down.

Hunter was very surprised with this information.

00000

The plane flew over the forest.

"See anything yet?" asked Garth, who was flying.

"Nothing yet. No, wait! I see the Big Guy!" replied Jo from the back.

With her was Mack and Erica. Garth landed the plane. Mack, Jo and Slate hurried over to the Big Guy.

"Alright Dwayne, you can come out now," Jo said, kneeling beside the robot.

No answer came. She opened it to find noone there. They looked around the area a bit, but couldn't find him anywhere.

They took the robot back to the Dark Horse where they met up with the general.

"Did you find Lieutenant Hunter?" he asked.

"No, we haven't yet. He was nowhere near the clearing," Slate told him. "We have to find him before information gets into the wrong hands."

00000

"Already here? That's clearly not possible," Dwayne told Tera.

"Let me tell you something _Lieutenant_, it is possible. I was human once, just like you but now I'm a freak, a mutant," she replied, tears forming in her eyes.

"A human? Please, tell me what happened," pleaded Dwayne.

"Alright. It was back in my graduating year of high school. I had a great life; good marks and great friends. One night in January, I was sleeping in bed and was abducted by aliens. But these were no ordinary aliens. They put me through torture and they conducted several experiments on me. It's them who turned me into this. I found out later they were conquering aliens, desiring more planets in their empire. They choose one member of the population to lead them into the coming battle for them," she explained as she sat down beside him.

"What happened next?" he wondered.

"Once I got home, life was very different. I thought a few days had passed but instead a few _months _went by instead. I knew something was wrong the first night home. I turned into this. I kept hiding from everybody when it happened. I couldn't stand to be seen by my peers or elders. Didn't want to frighten them and make them scorn me. After several days, two aliens from the same planet as my abductors came to me. They explained to me why I was like this. My mutation was always out of control so they gave me this necklace to keep it under control," she sadly explained, holding it out to show him. "With it, I can safely change back and forth."

"You have to wear it continuously?" he asked.

She nodded, showing it to him when two figures walked up to them.

"Lieutenant Dwayne Hunter, we were wondering when you would be here," Justin said.

"You're here!" Tera cried cheerfully.

"But we're not staying for long. We're going to find out what Hapar and his crew were planning. It might take us a few days and we have to leave here tonight," Jennifer told her.

"Stay here and protect him. You know he can help you sometime soon," Justin whispered to her. "If he comes, you know what to do."

Tera nodded as they left the cave. It was well after nightfall already and Dwayne yawned.

"Could you tell me if you become human often?" he asked, obviously tired.

"Sure I do. All the time," she replied, laying down beside him.

He shivered. Tera put one of her wings over him to keep him warm and they fell asleep.

00000

"What do you think happened?" asked Slate.

"Looking at this hole, and the damage inside, I'd say the lieutenant might've gotten hurt during this call," Mack replied.

Slate appeared very worried.

"If he's hurt, shouldn't we find him as soon as possible so we can tend to his wounds?" she demanded.

"Not yet we can't. It's too dark. At least not until morning," replied Jo.

00000

A few days later, Tera was just outside the cave picking some apples for Dwayne. He was inside taking a nap. His friends had not come near the cave yet and she didn't want to move him just yet. She walked up to him with a few apples and laid two beside him. He woke up and saw her nearby.

"Hey, what's happening?" he asked.

She wasn't listening. Her ears were cocked up high like a cat's.

"It's them. They're close. Too close. We have to leave immediately. Come on, get on my back," she said, moving over to Dwayne.

He slowly got on her back with help from her. Tera snuck out of the cave into the forest.

00000

Back at the Dark Horse, they got the signal that there was trouble and Garth climbed into the cockpit of the Big Guy.

He met up with Rusty over the forest north of New Tronic City.

"Oh no, it's Hapar again," Rusty said. "Let's double team him Big Guy."

Rusty let out his nuclear protons while Big Guy shot rockets at him.

"I've taken you out before, I'll do it again," he cried, dodging out of the way.

Suddenly, he was knocked off course. Rusty and Big Guy watched as Tera hovered before them. Jewel hovered before Tera as she was an eagle.

"It's nice to finally meet you Tera. I've heard so much about you. I am Jewel," she said.

"Well, I've never heard of you and I'm not so sure I want to know you. You're one of them that planet. You helped him. I might like to know you more but I don't know if I can trust you," Tera snorted at her.

"Tera, I'm hurt," Jewel said sarcastically as she flew towards Hapar.

The robots came up beside Tera, who appeared to be very angry as Jewel brought up Hapar.

"Be a darling and get me on her back," Hapar quietly asked her.

Jewel dropped Hapar on Tera's back, who started to scream.

"Help me, please!" she cried.

The Big Guy immediately knocked Hapar off Tera's back before he could do anything. Hapar fell to the ground only to meet Justin and Jennifer.

"Hello Hapar. Having fun?" asked Justin.

"I warn you right now Hapar. If you ever try and hurt my baby again, I assure you will die a slow and painful death," warned Jennifer.

"I will get her back. Just watch. I created her and I control her, not you. She will obey me," Hapar told them before running away.

Jewel picked him up and they headed back to the ship.

"Tera, come here girl," Justin called to her.

The pterodactyl flew down and he rubbed her beak as the Big Guy and Rusty landed on the ground.

"Oooh, cool," Rusty said as Mack, Jo, and Doctor Slate ran up to them.

"Why are you here?" asked Slate.

"We're here to help Tera. She may not show it that much but she needs help," replied Justin, holding Tera's head close to his chest.

"How did a prehistoric creature survive this long?" Rusty quietly asked Slate.

"I'm not sure," Slate quietly replied. _'But I'm more worried about Lieutenant Hunter.' _

"Kid, let's get back to base. We'll be of more help to them there," Big Guy told Rusty.

The boy robot nodded and followed. Slate looked sad as did Mack and Jo. Soon, they heard footsteps. Jo looked to see Jennifer with Lieutenant Hunter.

"Just to let you know, Tera's the result of a devestating experiment," Jennifer told them.

Jennifer helped the lieutenant to the ground as Slate ran over to them.

"Are you alright Liuetenant?" she frantically asked.

"I'll be fine," he replied, rubbing his leg.

"We'll head back now," Jo told them.

Jo and Mack headed back to the Dark Horse in the plane. Justin looked at Tera with sad eyes.

"Now listen and listen carefully Tera. I want you to go back to New Tronic City and do whatever you were planning to do before they came. Keep an eye out for Lieutenant Hunter. You know he's one of the two the prophecy speaks of. Don't let anything happen to him and don't worry about Hapar. He doesn't know your real name. All that he knows he irrelevant," Justin ordered quietly.

"Yes master. Now get the lieutenant on my back and we'll get going," she replied.

Both Dwayne and Erica climbed on Tera's back and she took them to Quark where an ambulance arrived for the lieutenant.

Doctor Slate and Tera stood on the roof after the ambulance left.

"I would like to know more about you. For instance, why are you here?" Doctor Slate said to Tera.

Tera shook her head as she turned away from the doctor.

"Maybe another time Doctor. Right now, best wishes on the lieutenant getting better. I'll be back," she replied.

She flapped her wings and flew off onto the sunset.

_'She is so secretive. Reminds me of a certain lieutenant,'_ Slate thought to herself before heading inside.

00000

A couple of hours later, Dwayne was asleep in his hospital bed when two figures walked up to him. He slighty opened his eyes to find Darlene and Jeffy were standing there.

"Hello Dwayne. Welcome back. Once I was contacted and heard you were missing, I was devastated. Jeffy and I came immediately until you were found and recovered some," explained Darlene.

"Well, I'm glad both of you came," Dwayne replied with a small smile.

"They told us you had a broken leg. When you came in, you were also a bit malnourished and dehydrated," she said with obvious relief. "They said your worst injury was the leg."

"If I'm not mistaken, wasn't that my only injury?" he replied as Jeffy jumped on the bed.

She thought for a minute.

"You're right, it was!" she said. "Right now, we're happy that you're safe. You really had us worried."

"Well, I'm glad I'm alright too," he told her as she took his hand.

"We'll be back in the morning to see how you're doing," she said tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry now. It's not like I'm going to die or something nearly as tragic as that," he told her, wiping away a few tears from her face.

"Uncle Dwayne, I'm gald you're alright.When will you get out of here?" asked Jeffy.

"When they let me Jeffy, when they let me," replied Dwayne, laughing.

The two left the room but no sooner had they did so, Doctor Slate and Jo walked in.

"Feeling fine?" asked the doctor.

Dwayne nodded and Slate gave a sigh of relief.

"I was finally talking to Czarina today. She's going to visit tomorrow. She was busy for the past few days and only heard about you from me when I talked to her," Jo said.

"Maybe she has something to do with that pterodactyl that saved my life," Dwayne joked as he yawned. "But no, it's impossible. It's strange though. I almost thought that I knew Tera."

"Who knows?" replied Jo.

He fell asleep as the two left the room. A figure stood outside the his room on the windowsill, looking before disappearing into the night sky.

00000

Meanwhile, somewhere else in town, Czarina looked up at the bright full moon in the night sky, the tears in her eyes.

_'Why does it have to be like this?'_ she asked herself, covering her face with her hands.

TBC...


	3. A Vague Memory

Dwayne sat uncomfortably in his chair as he looked over the Big Guy. Jo, Mack and Garth were all working on the robot and Dwayne wished he could.

But he obviously couldn't because of his broken leg.

Jo stopped working and headed over to him. She could see the anger in his eyes.

"Don't worry about it Dwayne. It's not your fault, nor hers. If Tera did anything, she saved your life. I've already told you that," Jo told him.

"And I've already told you that I'm not blaming her for this. I never will. I just wish that things could have turned out differently. That's all," Dwayne replied.

"And so you've told me that several times but I wish you could tell me what she told you," Jo said.

"I wish I could too but I don't think I can. She trusted me enough to tell me what happened to her. I'm going to leave it at that for now," Dwayne explained.

"Why? Don't you trust us?" Jo wondered, a smirk on her face.

"I do trust you. I wouldn't be here, being Big Guy's pilot if I didn't," Dwayne replied with a smirk.

"I know where you'd be," Mack said.

"Oh really Mack? Where would I be?" Dwayne wanted to know.

"In the circus. They'd introduce you as a joker," Mack replied. "A joker in the sense that everyone thought the Big Guy was a real robot and you helped fool them for years. Everyone would think the Big Guy was a joke and that you fooled them for so long."

Dwayne gave a disbelievng look at the older mechanic.

"I doubt that," Dwayne told him with a small laugh.

"You never know Lieutenant," Mack simply replied.

Jo had to give a smile at that. She gave a look up at the Big Guy. The hole that was in the hull was completely repaired. All that needed to be done now was a few minor adjustments to the inner mechanisms.

"Now that you're out of commision for a few weeks Lieutenant, things shouldget interesting around here," Garth told him.

"Now why do you say that?" asked Dwayne, raising an eyebrow.

"I get to pilot the Big Guy until you're better and you have to be on the sidelines. Can't imagine what you're going to start telling me," Garth replied with a smirk.

"Garth, you do know how to pilot him. There's nothing I need to tell you about how to handle him. I can't believe that you would think something like that," Dwayne told him with a disbelieving voice.

Garth quietly laughed as he shook his head.

"And I can't believe that you would think something like that," Garth told him, aiming his wrench at the lieutenant.

Dwayne shook his head as he and the others began to hear footsteps heading towards them. They turned to see General Thorton walking towards them.

"So are things coming along with the Big Guy. Is he repaired yet?" the general wanted to know.

"He almost is. Just a few adjustments and he should be ready to hit the skies again," Jo told him.

"Good. Once you're done, I want the four of you to take the next few days off. You've earned it," the general told them.

Dwayne had to give a small snicker and Thorton noticed this reaction.

"What's so funny Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Nothing important. Only that I'll be out of commision for the next few weeks because of my broken leg," replied the lieutenant.

"You'd still be around to keep an eye on things, I assure you. You're not going to be piloting the Big Guy until your leg gets better," Thorton told him.

The four watched the general leave the room.

"Personally, I wouln't think of asking Dwayne to pilot Big Guy until his leg got better," Mack snorted.

"Don't worry about it Mack. We need the rest anyway. Big Guy needs the rest as well believe it or not. He's been through a lot lately, as have I," Dwayne replied as he stared in the direction the general had gone in.

Jo and Garth nodded in agreement.

"Biggest difference is that this guy can be healed faster," Garth put in, referring to the Big Guy.

"Yeah. Now that we've got some time on our hands, what else could go wrong?" wondered Mack.

"I hope nothing," Dwayne replied. "But one can never tell. At least not lately. Hapar's been attacking a lot lately. He really wants to get a hold of this planet and Tera."

Jo narrowed her eyes at the lieutenant.

_'Whyis he protecting her so? What is it that he won't tell us? Even better, why is she so scared of us and not Dwayne?'_ she wondered before they headed out.

00000

"Hey Czarina! Never thought you'd be here," Jo called out.

She waved her hand towards the brunette, who smiled back at her.

"Jo, you should know that we used to hang out here. You still did after all these years," Czarina replied.

Garth and Mack both followed her in and they sat down at the table. Czarina gasped, standing up as she saw Dwayne hobbling in on crutches.

"Lieutenant Hunter, what happened? Here, let me help you," she told him.

She got out of her chair and offered it to Dwayne, who accepted it. He watched as Czarina grabbed another chair and sat down beside him.

"Care to talk about it?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Well..." started the lieutenant, diverting his eyes away from her.

"Lieutenant Hunter was a training exercise just recently. Some of the equipment was faulty and broke, causing the lieutenant to fall and break his leg," Jo broke in.

"Oh. That sounds awful. Hope it gets better soon," she told them.

"It just happened so it won't be better for a few more weeks," Dwayne told her.

"If you need any help, just let me know," Czarina said with a smile.

Dwayne couldn't help but give a smile back at her. He turned his face away, not showing the slight confusion on his face.

_'What is this feeling I'm getting from her? It's as if I should know her more than what I do,'_ he thought to himself.

He shook off the feeling as he faced the others again.

"There's nothing wrong, is there Lieutenant?" wondered Garth.

"No, there's nothing wrong," lied Dwayne.

But the group knew something was wrong, despite his attempts to hide it.

00000

Doctor Slate walked down the hallway, with Rusty following close behind her.

"Is Lieutenant Dwayne going to be alright?" Rusty asked yet again.

"Yes, he is. He just needs some time to rest, that's it. I've already told you that many times," Slate replied.

They continued to walk down the hallway until Slate heard something and stopped. She looked from side to side, wondering what could be causing it. Rusty heard it as well and was curious on what it could be.

Slate couldn't help but give a scream as the wall burst into many tiny pieces. Her eyes widened as Hapar walked through the wall.

"You! You are one of the two robots that defend this planet! Tell me where your friends is!" demanded the alien.

"Why? So you can go and destroy him? Never!" cried Rusty.

He lunged towards the alien, who managed to step out of the way. No matter how fast Rusty went, Hapar moved more quickly and he caught the boy robot by the foot.

"Hey! No fair! The Big Guy and I will defeat you! You will not take control over her or take over this planet!" protested Rusty.

Hapar looked over the small robot and something triggered an old memory.

_'Where have I seen him before? He seems familiar! Why is that?'_ he thought to himself. _'It couldn't be that, could it?'_

Slate noticed the look of realization on the alien's face.

"It can't be that! It couldn't possibly be that! I'm letting my imagination run wild!" Hapar suddenly cried out. "And it's a good thing that I can easily figure out how machines work."

He pulled out a rod from behind his wing and pressed it against Rusty's chest, causing an electrical charge to go through the robot. Rusty's eyes became blank and his body began to fall to the ground.

"Rusty!" Slate cried out, heading towards them.

Hapar grabbed and threw the robot to one side before grabbing Slate by the arm.

"I think you're going to be joining me on a little trip," he smiled at her.

00000

The group began to laugh at the stoires Jo and Czarina were remembering from school.

"It was crazy. So crazy it's not even funny," Czarina replied as she began to calm down.

"Sounds like you the two of you were terrorizers back in school," Dwayne said.

"So what? So are a lot of other people," Mack grunted.

"So are a lot of other people, yes, but each group or individuals are different. We happened to take another approach than some people," Jo protested.

"Whatever," Mack said in a huff.

Dwayne shook his head with a laugh before looking out the window to see a commotion outside. People were running away from something.

"Look out! It's a giant bug!" someone cried.

The bug turned around to see where the voice came from and snarled. He lifted up a weapon and it appeared he was about to fire.

The group of five were surprised and Czarina seemed to be in a trance.

"Is that who I think it is?" Garth wondered.

"It is him. He's back looking for Tera," Dwayne quietly said.

"Oh crap!" cried Mack. "The alien's aimed right for here!"

Jo, Mack, Garth and Czarina all climbed to their feet and headed for cover. Czarina stopped at the last second for she realized about the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Hunter!" she cried out, turning back around.

She saw that he was hobbling to get away from the window as quickly as possible but he wasn't fast enough to get away. She lunged for him just as Hapar fired his energy weapon at the window.

TBC...


	4. Questions and No Answers

Dwayne found himself hitting the floor. He groaned slightly as he hit the floor and looked up to see Czarina hovering over him.

"Everything's going to be alright Lieutenant," she told him.

He watched as she climbed to her feet and hurried away from him. Jo hurried up to him and the two glanced at each other.

"Why would Hapar fire at us? They're after Tera, not the people. At least that's what I first thought," Jo told him.

"Remember that he also wants to take over the planet. To do that, he needs two things. One; to get Tera back to his side and two; to destroy Big Guy and Rusty. I think he's trying to bring them out again. Either that or to bring Tera out into the open. Maybe even both," Dwayne suggested.

Jo nodded in agreement, helping the lieutenant to his feet. Garth and Mack both climbed to their feet, brushing the debris off of themselves.

"What are we going to do about him? By the time we get to the Big Guy..." started Garth.

"There is no time to get to the Big Guy. We'll have to deal with him here and now," Dwayne replied.

The three stared at him with incredulous looks. Jo glanced over at Czarina, who was standing next to the broken door. It looked like she wasn't paying any attention to them. She stood there, intently watching the alien outside.

"Where is she? I know she's here somewhere!" yelled Hapar.

He stormed back and forth around the area. He noticed Czarina standing in the doorway, Jo running up behind her. He gasped once he saw the two. They soon ran back to Dwayne, Garth and Mack. They were trying to find a spot were the lieutenant could be out of the way but he was protesting.

"It's you! I know you!" he quietly told himself. "How did you get here?"

He ran towards the small group. He stared at them, his breath visible as snorted through his nose. He grabbed the lieutenant by the throat and yanked him from his friends.

"Dwayne!" cried Jo.

Hapar stared at the lieutenant, who was gasping for air and trying to free himself from the alien's grasp. After a few moments, Dwayne passed out and the giant bug subsequently dropped him to the ground.

"Be warned! I know you're here somewhere! I have your precious doctor! If you want to see her alive, come out now!" Hapar yelled.

Jo gasped as she looked at Garth and Mack, who were also surprised.

"Must have Doctor Slate," Mack muttered. "Terrific."

"But who is he talking to exactly?" Garth wondered.

"Yeah, us or Tera?" agreed Jo.

"You have been warned! I will kill him!" Hapar cried out.

The three mechanics looked over at Dwayne, who was not moving on the pavement. Jo glanced around the area to see where Czarina was to find that she was nowhere to be seen.

"Great, the lieutenant's hurt and now Czarina's gone. What next?" she muttered.

"You know, for someone you went to school with, I'm not surprised," Garth told her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Jo.

She gave her co-worker a glare and he slightly flinched because of it. The two turned back to the scene before them.

"More importantly, how are we going to get Dwayne out of there? He's pretty well taken captive. We can't get to the Big Guy and Tera's nowhere to be seen," Garth told her.

"What's Tera got to do with this?" Mack asked.

"I don't know but I think if she were around, she'd get him out of there," Garth replied.

Jo didn't say anything as she watched the scene. She became horrified once she saw Czarina run towards Hapar.

"Czarina!" she cried out.

Jo immediately darted out to help her friend. Garth and Mack tried to stop her but she was just out of reach. The two friends reached him at about the same time and he grabbed them both around their waists. His stare went between them.

"I've seen the two of you before during my last visit here. How nice to see you again," Hapar snarled at them.

00000

"This way!" whispered a voice.

"Coming," replied the other.

The two figures quickly, yet quietly, ran down the corridor of the ship. They passed through several rooms yet they couldn't find what they were looking for.

"Where is she? We watched as Hapar kidnapped her. Too bad we didn't see where he took her," the other replied.

"How could we help that? We really can't interfere too much with these people Justin. We know what has to happen for Tera to be free of this curse," Jennifer replied.

Justin looked at her before his stare turned towards the floor. He sighed and nodded.

"I know that and we both know who has to be involved, they just don't know it yet. You know that just as well as I do," Justin told her.

"But when do we tell them? That's the problem! We can't just yet and neither can Tera! Not until the time is right!" Jennifer protested.

"I have a feeling it will be soon that we will have to though. It can't stay secret from them forever. We've already asked him but we we won't his answer until we meet him again. Now let's get going!" Justin told her.

He grabbed Jennifer's arm and they silently hurried down the corridor, looking for the doctor. They soon came across a room filled with guards.

"This one is to be taken care of as soon as Hapar says so. He has a feeling that she will give us trouble in the future. Until then, no one is to touch her," the dog told the two.

They nodded as the dog left the room. Justin and Jennifer both ducked until he was out of sight. The two ran up to the guards and knocked them out cold. Doctor Slate looked between them.

"You two again. Why are you here to help me?" she asked them.

"We're here to help all of you, not just Tera but she needs more help than what you realize," replied Justin.

Slate appeared surprised by this statement. She headed after them once they started to walk down the hallway.

"Would someone mind explaining this to me? As far as I can understand, she's in danger and no one's asking for help. Now tell me what's wrong?" Slate demanded to know

"I'm sorry Doctor, but now is not the time. We will tell you soon," Jennifer told her.

Justin grabbed the Doctor's arm and he began to pull her out of the ship. She struggled the entire way. Jennifer became slightly angry with this and they stopped.

"Let go of me!" Slate cried out.

"Do you or do you not want to get out of here Doctor?" Jennifer wanted to know.

"I do but you're not helping," Slate replied.

"Yes, we are. It's you that's not helping. If you keep this up, everyone on board will know we're here. I have one question for you. If we told you how Tera could be helped, would you do your best to make it happen?" Justin

Slate was a bit surprised with the question but she soon nodded. Jennifer shook her head as they began to head down the corridor.

"That's why we're not telling you. The timing has to be right more than anything," Jennifer explained to her.

Slate's eyes perked up in interest but she didn't say anything as she found herself being led out of the ship.

00000

Hapar glanced between the two before dropping them to the ground.

"The two of you aren't worth my time. I'm not after you. I want to find _her _and you wouldn't know where she is," Hapar growled.

The alien turned his back on them and began to walk away. Czarina stood up and ran over to him again. She jumped onto his back and he tried to get her off.

"Jo, get the lieutenant out of here! I'll stay here and distract him!" Czarina yelled at her.

Jo glanced at the lieutenant, Garth and Mack kneeling next to him. She hurried over to her friends and they began to take Dwayne out of harm's way. Jo glanced back at Czarina one more time before deciding to stay and help.

"Take Dwayne and get him out of here. I'm staying to help Czarina," Jo told them.

"What? You're crazy!" Mack cried.

"Well, it rubbed off a friend of mine," Jo replied.

She hurried back to help Czarina, who was suddenly thrown to the ground. Czarina began to back away from Hapar, slight fear in her eyes. Hapar saw Jo out of the corner of his eye.

"You will die human. Both if you will die," Hapar snarled at them.

"Get away from them!" came a voice.

Hapar twirled around to find Justin and Jennifer standing down the street and both were aiming guns at him. He noticed that Slate was standing behind them and he growled.

"So you found her, did you? You two were always annoying! Always in the right place at the wrong time! Why do you always have to help them? These are not your people. They're not even your friends!" Hapar demanded to know.

"Because you have no right taking them as prisoner. This planet is not for your taking," Jennifer replied.

"It has been ever since Tera joined my forces all those years ago. It wasn't until now that it was ripe for the taking," Hapar replied.

"Get away from them or else I will shoot," Justin warned him.

"I'm so scared Justin," Hapar told him with a sarcastic tone. "I'm shaking in my boots."

Justin fired the weapon and it hit Hapar in the shoulder. He cried out in pain, grasping his injury.

"You will pay for that!" he snarled.

He pulled out a gun himself and aimed it at them. Jennifer snickered as she shook her head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she told him.

"And why not? You just shot me," Hapar wondered.

The next thing he knew, he found himself on the ground and unable to get up. A weight kept him pinned to the ground. He glanced up to see Czarina and Jo on top of him.

"That's why," Jennifer said.

She hurried towards the doctor and began to lead her away from the scene. Slate tried to watch but couldn't when she found herself being pulled around a corner. Jennifer placed her weapon on her back and walked down the alleyway.

"What about Czarina and Jo? Are you just going to leave them there?" Slate demanded to know.

"No, we aren't. Justin's there to help. You know that. I thought it was best if I got you out of the way," Jennifer replied.

Slate narrowed her eyes at the comment. She noticed that the cat seemed quite agitated. Slate didn't know if it was because of the situation or not.

"What of will become of Tera?" Slate finally asked.

That got Jennifer's attention. She stared at the doctor in disbelief.

"What of Tera? She is a prisoner, just like a lot of other people," Jennifer said. "She needs help but not just anyone can help. You must understand this."

Slate nodded before she allowed Jennifer to take her back to Quark.

00000

Justin walked up to Hapar, who was still pinned to the ground. He looked up at the cat before pushing Czarina and Jo off of him. The two stood face to face.

"You win this time Justin but be warned, I will be back. You managed to find the doctor and surround me," Hapar snorted.

He began to vanish into thin air and Justin shook his head as Hapar did so.

"He'll never learn. Tera's not part of his army and never was," Justin muttered.

He glanced over at Jo and Czarina before walking over to them.

"Thank you, for helping us deal with him. You don't realize how much this means for us," Justin told them.

"No problem," Jo replied. "Let's go Czarina."

Justin watched them leave the scene. He sighed as he left himself.

00000

Dwayne coughed before opening his eyes. His eyes came to Jo, Mack and Garth before giving a smile.

"Don't worry Dwayne. Everything's going to be fine. Rusty's functioning properly again and those two cats are as mysterious as ever. Doctor Slate thinks that more is going on than what they're letting on when it concerns Tera," Jo told him.

"I have faith in them. I firmly believe that they'll explain everything sooner or later," Dwayne replied.

"Yeah, but when?" Jo asked.

TBC...


	5. Playing in the Mud

Big Guy glanced from side to side, looking for his target but he saw nothing except for the city and the trees and grass at the outskirts.

"Where is it? People have seen it heading this way from the forest and they said it was huge. So where could something that big have gone to?" Big Guy wondered.

"Don't know Big Guy. I'm not picking up anything strange. This place is the same as it was before," Rusty said. "I know people have seen it but what are we supposed to do when we can't find it?"

"The only thing we really can do Rusty, is wait. It wants to be found but not quite yet," Big Guy replied. "At least that's what I think. Let's head back."

Rusty smiled and nodded in agreement before they started to head back.

"There's been no sign of any trouble lately, not even from Hapar. Wonder what happened to him?" Rusty mentioned.

"Don't know sport but we all know he's nearby. All we can do is we wait and see what happens," Big Guy told him.

Rusty nodded before he found himself being pushed forward. He soon found himself head first into the ground. Big Guy turned to find something that surprised him. He found a giant figure, covered entirely in mud that was about the same height he was. The figure turned to face the bigger of the two robots.

"You will both be finished. Hapar will claim this planet as he own," the figure loudly exclaimed.

"You must be mistaken about something since no one is going to take over our planet at anytime. At least not whilewe're around," Big Guy replied.

The muddy figure laughed as he walked towards the robot. Rusty shook his head free of some mud before flying into the air behind the creature, who glanced at the boy robot.

"We don't want you to forget that if you attack one of us..." Big Guy started.

"...the other one will be there to attack you," Rusty finished.

The muddy figure growled as he repeatedly glanced between them. Without saying or doing anything, it collapsed onto the ground and remained still. The two robots cautiously walked over to it. Big Guy kicked the mound of dirt to find it wasn't moving.

"That was strange," Dwayne said from inside the robot.

00000

"So it essentially disappeared into the ground?" Jo asked.

"Yeah, it did. I think it's almost toying with us," Dwayne replied. "Waiting for the right moment to attack."

"You really think that's possible?" Mack wondered.

Garth, Jo and Dwayne all shrugged their shoulders. The lieutenant sighed as he stood up and walked over to a table near the Big Guy. Jo watched him and noticed that there was an ever so slight limp from where he broke his leg. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, you are going to have fun sometime soon, aren't you?" Jo quietly asked him.

"Are you trying to get off of the subject at hand?" Dwayne asked her with a smile.

"Maybe but you should get your mind off of things. It seems like you've been too uptight lately and that you're trying to get off the subject at hand," Jo replied.

Dwayne rolled his eyes while Mack gave a disbelieving laugh and Garth burst into laughter.

"Has he been too uptight lately? That's an understatement. It's more like everything that could go wrong has been happening to him between having to deal with Hapar and then breaking his leg," Garth said.

Jo gave him an 'I don't believe you' look. Dwayne couldn't help but laugh for he knew Garth was right while Mack didn't say anything. General Thorton walked up to the group and the four turned to look at him. He looked between everyone.

"What is it General? IS there anything wrong?" wondered Dwayne.

"You are all to meet up with Doctor Slate. She would like to talk to you about these aliens. Maybe what she knows can help you in future," Thorton told them.

They all nodded before they started to head towards the plane. Thorton placed a hand on the lieutenant's shoulder. Dwayne turned to face his superior.

"Are you ready for tomorrow night?" Thorton quietly asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Dwayne replied.

"Are you bringing a date?" Thorton wondered.

Dwayne looked at the smile on the general's face and wanted to roll his eyes but he managed not to do so.

"I really hadn't thought about it much. I guess I wasn't going to bring anyone with me," Dwayne replied.

"Well, whether you bring someone or not, I just hope you're going to have a good time," the general told him.

Thorton started towards the door, leaving a slightly stunned Dwayne Hunter behind. He thought about what Thorton said for a moment before following him.

00000

"So what the verdict Slate?" wondered Dwayne.

"Well, out of what we already know about these aliens, it's not good. There also appears to be two distinct groups within the population. One group is represented by Hapar and his crew, who want to take over the planet. Hapar appears to be particularly stubborn and will go to any lengths to get what he wants and that's Tera. Rememer what he did to Rusty a few weeks ago?" Slate told the group.

"And that would leave Justin and Jennifer representing the other group, who are trying to stop Hapar and help Tera with whatever her problem is," Dwayne finished.

"Exactly," Slate said. "By what I understand from what the cats have already said, there's only one way Tera can be helped and that it can only happen at a specific time. When that time is, I don't know. They won't elaborate for fear of us wanting to help too soon."

"'Fear of us wanting to help too soon'? Someone's in trouble and we don't know where they are or how to help them. Tera could literally be anywhere in the city and her time could be running out. I wish they would trust us," Dwayne told her.

"I have a feeling they do trust us but they want to protect us at the same time," Slate said.

Garth and Mack walked over to the window, listening in on the ensuing conversations between the lieutenant, doctor and Jo.

"Speaking of Tera, I wonder where she is right now?" Garth mused.

"Don't know, don't care," replied Mack. "Those cats will find a way to help her. They won't need our help."

Garth shrugged his shoulders as he stared out the window. He heard a screech coming from outside and turned his head to see what was happening. Mack and Garth were horrified to see Tera outside the building. She was flying away from something and they soon saw that it was a figure of mud.

"Hey guys! The Mudman's decided to join us here too!" Garth called out to Jo, Dwayne and Slate.

The three hurried over to the window to see what was happening before heading. Dwayne squinted his eyes, noticing Justin and Jennifer on the ground, guns in hand. They were slowly backing away from the Mudman. Once he saw them, he ran out of the room.

"Dwayne!" Jo cried out to him.

She glanced over at Mack and Garth before the three of them ran after him.

00000

"Get out of there Tera! We can't stay here any longer! There are lives in danger if we stay here!" Justin yelled up to the Tera.

"Good, I was getting nowhere! I don't know what it will take to defeat this guy!" Tera yelled back.

She flew towards the Mudman and punched him, which only resulted in a hole in his midsection. He laughed as he stared at her.

"Uh-oh," she said.

She turned and flew higher into the air. She glanced into the building on her way up and saw the doctor looking out at her. She hovered in front of the building, staring at them before heading down to the ground to pick up the cats.

"She's here today. The doctor is in the building," Tera told them.

"There's nothing we can really do. I doubt anyone would let us inside to talk to her," Justin said. "Now let's get moving and lead him out of town."

Tera flew for the outskirts of New Tronic city and Mudman followed, just like Justin said it would. Dwayne ran out of the building and watched them leave. He slightly shook his head, while gasping for air. The Pit Crew ran out of the building and up to him.

"Lieutenant, what's wrong?" wondered Garth.

"I don't know. I had been hoping to get some answers but I guess it'll have to wait," Dwayne replied before heading back inside.

Mack, Jo and Garth glanced between each other, all wondering what was wrong.

00000

The four walked back into Doctor Slate's office. She looked up from the papers on her desk and walked over to them.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just thought I saw something," replied Dwayne.

"Anything else you need to tell us?" wondered Garth.

"No, I've told you all I know but I will let you know if I find out something else," Slate told them with a shake of the head.

The three members of the Pit Crew started to head out the door but Dwayne stayed behind with the Doctor. She walked up to him with a worried look on her face for the lieutenant had a neutral stare in his face.

"Is there anything wrong Lieutenant Hunter?" she asked him.

"Nothing's wrong Slate. I simply wanted to ask you something," he replied.

"You know you can ask me anything. What would you like to know?" Slate told him.

He closed his eyes and gave a deep breath. He turned to face her, hoping that he wasn't an idiot in asking.

"Well, the Army's going to be holding a dance tomorrow night in honour of those coming home from conflicts overseas. I was wondering if you would like to join me?" he finally said.

Slate was a bit surprised with the question but she soon nodded her head in reply.

"Of course I'll go with you," she replied. "Pick me up at 1900 hours."

The two shook hands and Dwayne left the room, a smile on his face. He didn't notice that someone was watching him from outside. The figure gave a smile before leaving.

TBC...


	6. Mud Fight!

Dwayne drove up to Quark Tower, waiting for the doctor to come out. He was almost regreting asking her to the dance for he knew that Jo would annoy him about it for wuite a while after it.

_'She's always teased me about my feelings for Doctor Slate. I've always wondered why? What are my feelings towards the doctor? I don't even know anymore,' _he asked himself.

While he waited inside the car for Doctor Slate to come out, he turned towards the moon and narrowed his eyes. He thought he saw something in the light of the moon.

"Must be my imagination or something like that. I'm seeing things now," he muttered.

"Is there anything wrong Lieutenant Hunter?" came a female voice.

Dwayne turned his head back around to see Doctor Slate standing next to the car. He didn't hear her walk up to the car and he mentally reprimanded himself for it. She was wearing a light pink sleeveless dress and her hair was pulled back into a bun.

"You look nice tonight Doctor Slate," he told her,

"Thank you Lieutenant Hunter. You look nice yourself," Slate replied.

She climbed into the car and the lieutenant began to head towards the dance hall. Along the way, Slate glanced over at Dwanye, who appeared to be worried.

"What's wrong Lieutenant?" she finally asked.

"Nothing important. I'm just worried about Tera," Dwayne replied.

Slate gave a smile as she turned to face the street again.

"I agree with you but you know we can't do anything to help her just yet. Justin and Jennifer have already said that so it sounds like we can but they won't let us yet," Slate told him.

Dwayne remained quiet when she said the names of the two cats and she noticed it. She decided not to say anything else about the two cats at the moment as they continued on.

00000

Dwayne and Slate walked into the building. She was glancing around at the many different people milling around the room.

"I didn't realize how many Army personnel were in New Tronic City," she said.

"There are more than some people realize," Dwayne replied. "Still, the Big Guy's out back in the event that Mudman decides to show up here."

Slate nodded in reply as he heard music float through the air. She turned in the direction the music was coming from and Dwayne followed her lead.

"Beautiful song, don't you think? Wonder who's playing it?" she mused.

"Yeah, it is very nice," agreed Dwayne.

They both soon got their answer as words soon joined the music being played. The two listened to what the singer was saying.

"Whatever the song is, I like the lyrics," Dwayne mused.

Slate was only half paying to the lieutenant at that moment as she was listening to the voice. She gave a small smile as she soon recognized it. She turned back to the lieutenant to find him humming to the lyrics.

"Lieutenant?" she questioned.

Dwayne broke out of his reverie and blushed as he looked at the doctor.

"Sorry about that Doc," he apologized.

"It's fine but that sounds like Czarina. She would be here for something like this?" Slate wanted to confirm.

"I guess that since she was in town, they'd get her to help out with the entertainment. Care to dance?" Dwayne asked her.

She nodded and they headed out onto the dance floor. They didn't see the Pit Crew standing on the sidelines. Jo smiled once she saw the two dancing together.

"And he said he wasn't going to bring someone so he ends up bringing Doctor Slate," she muttered to her friends.

"We're so going to have to annoy him about this," Garth agreed.

"Whatever," Mack said.

The older man was leaning against the wall, head down. Jo glanced back at him and gave him a small smirk before she continued to listen to what Czarina was singing.

"I'm heading over to see how Czarina's doing. I'll be back in a few minutes," Jo told Garth and Mack.

The two men nodded before she headed towards her friend. Czarina was just about finished the song when Jo reached the piano.

"Nice song Czarina," Jo told her.

"Thanks Jo. Glad you liked it. Just hoped others did as well," Czarina replied.

"Haven't seen too much of you lately 'Rina," Jo told her.

Czarina could see the slight curiousity yet anger in her friend's eyes.

"I've been busy Jo. Coming back to New Tronic City wasn't completely pleasure for me. I had agreed to do some work while I was here. The main reason I'm here tonight is because they really wanted me here," Czarina replied. "Please don't be angry with me, my friend. You might know that working for the world's greatest hero sometimes keeps you or takes you from the things you'd rather be doing. What I do is no different."

Jo glanced at her in mild surprise and Czarina didn't see it. The two walked over to Garth and Mack, who glanced over at them. Their stares then turned past them and the two women turned to see Doctor Slate and Lieutenant Hunter standing behind them.

"Nice to see the two of you again. Lieutenant, it is good to see you back on your feet again," Czarina told him, a smile on her face.

"Thank you for your concern," he replied.

Dwayne couldn't help but laugh at the pun she made, considering that one of the last times they saw each other, he had a cast on his leg.

00000

Justin ran towards a building as Jennifer fired her gun at the creature made entirely of mud. Hapar watched from above, laughing.

"You can't destroy him! This is not like the mud on our home planet. He is made from this planet's soil, even despite the fact that our magic helps him take shape. Your weapons won't work against him!" Hapar yelled at them.

"We know more about this planet than you do. How do you know that we don't know how to stop it?" wondered Justin.

"Because I know the two of you that well. You may know more about this planet than me but you don't know everything," Hapar replied.

He lunged for Justin, who dodged, causing Hapar to hit the building, leaving a dent in the wall. He growled as he stared at the two cats. He gave them an evil smile as he watched the Mudman walk up to them from behind and grabbed them around their necks. Justin and Jennifer squirmed to free themselves but to no luck.

"You see, nothing can stop me now, not even you," Hapar told them.

Jennifer glanced at the figure holding onto her before shooting it with the gun still in her hand. It recoiled, letting go of the two. They both fired at it, the blast forcing it to back up into the wall.

00000

The small group soon found themselves talking together when a slight rumbling began to form.

"Do you hear something Lieutenant?" asked the doctor.

"No, why?" he replied.

"It sounds like one of the walls is breaking," Slate replied.

Dwayne looked at Slate before hearing the noise himself. The group turned around to see the wall was indeed breaking and the Mudman was standing within the rubble. There were a few screams as Justin and Jennifer ran into the building.

"Looks like they need backup, let's go people!" Dwayne told his crew.

The three nodded before running towards the back of the building. Czarina and Slate watched them leave. Czarina narrowed her eyes before running towards the front of the building. Slate didn't realize this right away and when she saw the singer hurrying away, she became worried.

"Czarina, where are you going? It's not safe!" Slate cried out.

"I'll be fine! Trust me!" Czarina cried back.

Slate was surprised when Czarina said that and turned her stare back towards Justin and Jennifer facing the Mudman. Women were around her, screaming while the men tried to figure out a way to stop the creature. Slate was wondering about the situation when the Big Guy walked through the hole in the wall.

"So, did you miss me?" asked the robot.

Justin and Jennifer watched Big Guy as he walked up to the Mudman and punched a hole right through the midsection. Justin looked between the two before finding his way up to Big Guy's shoulder.

"You can't beat him alone Big Guy. You will need our help," Justin quietly told him.

"What?" the robot said in slight confusion.

The Mudman brought an arm up and hit Justin, causing him to fall off of Big Guy before hitting the robot in the face, making him retaliate. The figure of mud backed away from the group of three, towards Doctor Slate. Dwayne saw what it was doing from inside the cockpit.

"No!" he cried.

He moved the Big Guy forward only to be stopped by a blast to his chest. He looked to see Jewel slowly flying down to the ground, with Hapar on her back.

"Nice try but you can't stop us," Hapar told him. "Go get her Mudman. She's important to them. I have to find out why. "

The Mudman nodded, subsequently heading towards the doctor. She began to back away from him as he advanced. He thought about running but soon realized that it was useless. Big Guy tried to get to her but found he was stopped by Jewel and Hapar.

"You can't help her," Hapar told him with a snicker.

The creature was just about to pick up the doctor when she disappeared from before him. He looked from side to side before glancing up to see Tera hovering in the air, holding onto Doctor Slate. She glanced back at the pterodactyl, glancing down at her arms to see the streaks of bone.

"You forgot about me Hapar," Tera told him.

"Oh no. I haven't dear Tera. You see, I managed to fool your guardians and yourself. I wanted to get you out into the open for I have a surprise for you," Hapar coldly replied. "Jewel, you know what to do."

The eagle lowered Hapar to the ground as tera cautiously flew over to the Big Guy, Justin and Jennifer. She lowered the doctor to the ground and stood behind the two cats.

"I'm worried. They've got something planned," Tera quietly said.

"I was worried about this as well but I didn't think he could actually do it," Justin agreed.

"Do what?" asked the doctor. "What are they planning?"

Dwayne carefully watched the scene before him from inside the robot. He tried to stick close to Tera for he didn't know what to expect.

"Now where did Jewel go to so quickly? Hapar's here but where's she?" he wondered to himself.

Dwayne watched as Tera flew higher into the sky but was shaken out of his concentration when something hit him from behind. The Mudman continued to hit the Big Guy and the two were soon locked into a fist fight. Justin aimed a gun and fired it, hitting the Mudman but it didn't faze him a bit. Justin growled as he glanced over at the doctor. Slate was staring into the sky, watching Tera. Jennifer joined her gaze, worried that something might happen.

"Jennifer, where did she go to?" Tera called down to her.

"I have no idea," Jennifer replied.

"You'll find out soon enough," Hapar suddenly put in.

Tera glanced down at the bug as Slate glanced around the area for a moment before seeing something in the distance.

"Look out!" she cried out.

Tera turned around enough to see Jewel flying straight at her. She grasped Tera's 'arm' and leg in her talons and laughed.

"You were on your guard, yes but I managed to catch in a moment when you let it down," Jewel told her.

Dwayne soon heard the screaming coming from nearby. He looked to see Tera and Jewel.

"Great, I need to get away from this guy and fast," Dwayne said.

Big Guy brought an arm back and punched the Mudman in the face before heading towards Tera, who continued to struggle but the Mudman kept him back. Justin and Jennifer both changed the setting on their guns before aiming and firing it at the Mudman. The blasts hit him right in the back. It wasn't long before the figure began to dry out and the remains fell to the ground. Big Guy stared at it for a moment before heading towards Jewel and Tera.

"You won't win," Jewel said.

She reached in and grabbed the necklace around Tera's neck with her beak. Tera screamed out and tried to get away but found she couldn't free herself from Jewel's grasp. The eagle broke the chain and subsquently let go of the pterodactyl. She started to fly towards Hapar when Big Guy fired at her. The missile hit her, causing her to drop the necklace.

"You will pay for that," Jewel snarled at him.

"Sorry, I don't have money or credit cards on me. Will you accept an I.O.U?" wondered the robot.

She growled as she watched the necklace fall to the ground. She flew down to try and find it but she didn't see it anywhere. She growled as she flew towards Hapar.

"We've lost the necklace," Jewel said.

"Then let us depart. We'll come back for it later," Hapar replied.

Slate and Big Guy watched them leave. Dwayne turned the robot around to talk to Justin and Jennifer but they were nowhere to be found.

"Where could they gone so quickly?" wondered Slate.

Inside the robot, Dwayne noticed the flicker of one of the screens and the general's face appeared before him.

"Lieutenant Hunter, head back to the Dark Horse. We have a few things to discuss," Thorton told him.

"I can't General. I know where they're going and Tera needs to be helped. I saw how she reacted when that necklace of hers was taken and I know why she needs it," Dwayne replied.

"Lieutenant, are you disobeying me?" Thorton asked him, slight anger in his voice.

"Listen, they helped me when I was in trouble with my broken leg several weeks ago. The least I can do is to see if I can help them," Dwayne explained.

Thorton raised an eyebrow before nodding his head.

"Fine, but if they aren't there, I want you to come back immediately," the general warned him.

The lieutenant nodded before leading the Big Guy away from the scene.

00000

Big Guy landed in a clearing near the cave. He slowly moved forward, not wanting to miss Tera if she happened to be nearby. He thought about how he was going to make himself known.

"Maybe I should get out and go on foot but if she flies away, I won't have a chance to follow her. But if I go in the Big Guy, they'll wonder how the he knew where they were," he said to himself.

He finally decided to go out on foot. Dwayne walked up to the cave and he heard crying coming from inside. He looked to see Tera sitting near the entrance to the cave. Dwayne moved forward, grabbing a branch in the process and accidentally snapping it. A face turned in his direction in complete horror.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" Tera protested.

"I'm here to help," Dwayne replied.

"Unless I have my necklace, I can't change back! I won't go back!" she cried out.

She covered her face with her wings. Dwayne could see the wounds on both her arm and leg from Jewel. He wondered if he should leave after all but that decision would soon be made for him.

"What are you doing here?" came an angry voice from behind them.

Dwayne turned to see Justin and Jennifer standing just outside the cave, arms crossed and very angry

"I - uh - heard that Tera was in trouble and I came here to help," Dwayne replied.

"Nothing you do can help her right now. Now get back in that mechanical monster of yours and leave immediately!" Jennifer told him.

Dwayne was shocked when he heard the female cat say that and it was obvious on his face.

"Yes, we know Lieutenant Dwayne Hunter. We know that you are the pilot of the Big Guy," Justin confirmed for him.

TBC...


	7. It Starts

"What? How did you know that I'm the pilot of the Big Guy?" Dwayne wondered. "Even better, how long have you known?"

"We have known for a few years Lieutenant but now we have failed our mission for the necklace is lost. Tera cannot return to the city," Jennifer told him.

Dwayne thought about the last time he was in the cave and remembered what Tera had told him. He glanced over at the pterodactyl.

"That's right. Is there anything I can do?" Dwayne asked. "Maybe I can take her back with the Big Guy to the..."

"Not possible. She won't have any protection," Justin said.

"What do you think we're going to do with her? Attack her? Leave her out in open where she can be easily seen? We would give her a cabin to stay in during her stay," Dwayne retorted.

"That's what we're afraid of, Lieutenant. You see, there's one aspect about Tera that she hadn't told you. Something dealing with that necklace she wears. Without it, she has no control over the changes between a human and pterodactyl," Jennifer explained.

"Wait! I do remember her saying that. I already know that," Dwayne snickered.

"But did she tell you that the changes only occur directly in the light of the sun and the moon?" Justin wondered.

Dwayne was more than surprised as he twirled his head to look at the reptile.

"That part, I missed," Dwayne finally said.

"So you see, if she goes with you, her identity will be exposed to many of your men when she would travel below decks, out of sight from the sky. We do not want that. We know how few know your secret Lieutenant, even fewer know Tera's," Jennifer replied.

Dwayne sighed before glancing over at Tera, who remained in the same spot. The lieutenant could tell that she wanted help but didn't want her secret to be known just yet. He thought about the situation for a moment before coming up with an idea.

"Wait! I may have come up with something if you trust me enough. Listen to what I have to say," Dwayne told them.

00000

Doctor Slate walked around the area, looking for the necklace. She had seen it fall to the ground and was determined to find it.

"It means something to Tera so I should try and find it before Hapar does. I know it fell around here somewhere but where could it have gone to. I just hope they hadn't come back and found it ," Slate quietly said.

She continued to look before something caught her eye in the distance. When she walked closer, she found that it was indeed the necklace. She picked it up and glanced around the area, seeing if anyone had possibly seen her. She sighed once she saw no one was around.

"Now to get back to Qwark to examine this. I would like to know more about this," she quietly said.

She hurried back to the tower before being spotted by anyone.

00000

"And what idea did you happen to think of now?" wondered Jennifer.

"Allow me to take her to the Dark Horse. She can be safe there!" Dwayne started.

"Didn't we already talk about this? We already told you no, " sighed Justin.

"But we didn't discuss the possibilty of the hallways being emptied of people so I can get her to a cabin unnoticed," Dwayne said.

"Still too risky. Someone might come out of their room just as you pass," Jennifer replied.

"I can get the general to order them to stay in their rooms. If you'll just let me try - " Dwayne began.

The two cats glanced at each other. They walked a few steps away from the lieutenant and whispered to each other.

"Should we trust him enough to for him to do this?" wondered Jennifer.

"Maybe the one we should ask is Tera," Justin replied.

Dwayne watched as the two walked over to Tera and talked with her. He pateintly waited to get an answer from them before Justin walked over to Dwayne.

"She will allow you to take her to your base of operations and for that, we will permit you to do so if you're allowed but only if we go with you. Contact the general and fill him in on what you have planned," Justin told him.

Dwayne gave a small smile before he climbed up to the cockpit. Thorton's face soon appeared on one of the overhead screens.

"What is it Lieutenant?" demanded Thorton.

"It's Tera, sir. She needs help and I need permission to bring her back to the base," Dwayne replied.

"No can do. Security reasons. Not even Tera and the cats can find out about you," Thorton immediately replied.

"They already know General Thorton. They have known for years now and there's no sense in trying to hide it from them," Dwaynereplied..

The general was more than surprised but remained quiet. He thought about what he was recently told.

"Fine then, bring her here but she's your responsibility," the general finally replied.

"But I need one favour from you General," Dwayne quickly said.

"What now?" the general said in an exasperated voice.

"I need you to clear the decks and hallways of the Dark Horse. Tera's lost her necklace and without it, she's incapable of controlling the changes between her human and pterodactyl forms. If she would get below decks, she would be vunerable to eyes that shouldn't know," Dwayne replied.

Thorton raised an eyebrow at him, still wondering why he should do that for someone he barely knew.

"Let me put it this way General, would you want me to walk the halls or streetsand tell everyone that I am Big Guy's pilot?" Dwayne asked him.

"No, of course not. I'll do what I can," the general replied.

The general's face disappeared from the screen and Dwayne climbed out of the cockpit.

"All right, let's get moving!" Dwayne called out.

The two cats scrambled to get ready the few things they needed as Dwayne began to help Tera towards the Big Guy.

"Thank you Lieutenant. I realize I was nervous when you first arrived here but I was frightened," she quietly told him.

"It's no trouble. After all, you helped me several weeks ago. It's the least I can do," Dwayne replied.

Jennifer and Justin soon had everything they needed and climbed onto Big Guy's back once Dwayne had climbed back inside. He gently picked up Tera with Big Guy's hands, allowing Justin enough time to cover her with a blanket, before they headed towards the Dark Horse.

00000

"Move it people! We need to get the hallways as empty as possible. General's orders!" cried Jo.

"Come on! Let's go!" urged Garth.

The general watched from a nearby room. He was anxious for the lieutenant to return with Tera. He never expected her to actually give permission to be taken someplace that could be considered 'unsafe'.

"So we finally get to meet this creature face to face," Thorton quietly said.

The Pit Crew arrived at the door, awaiting for whatever was next.

"Head for your quarters Crew. No sense in everyone waiting for him," Thorton told them.

The three appeared shocked at this statement.

"Shouldn't we be here in case the Big Guy is damaged or something like that?" Jo wondered.

"Trust me on this. Lieutenant Hunter requested that the hallways be clear and that includes the three of you and me," Thorton told them.

Mack, Garth and Jo were all surprised by this but they all complied with the request. Thorton soon closed the door to the room and patiently waited.

00000

Big Guy soon arrived at the Dark Horse and made his way inside. Dwayne looked around the area to find that no one was around.

"Looks like the general managed to get everyone into their cabins," Dwayne quietly said.

Justin and Jennifer climbed off of Big Guy as he lowered Tera to the deck. Tera slowly climbed to her feet as Dwayne walked over to the nearby platform and climbed out. He watched as the two cats put the blanket more over Tera's head.

"Now where can we go to stay? Please take us there and quickly," Jennifer requested.

Dwayne nodded before leading them down a corridor, with the three following close behind. He was hoping that no one would decide to come out of their room at any time. He continually glanced back and noticed that Tera was slowly changing back to a human again.

_'Well, I've always wanted to find out who she was as a human. I just didn't want to find out like this,'_ he thought to himself.

He made his way to his own cabin and opened up the door.

"I hope this'll do until I can find an empty one nearby. I honesty don't know whch ones are occupied and which ones aren't anymore," Dwayne told them.

"This will do. With an empty room, someone might still come inside and see us. At least while we're in here, only you come inside. Any others will knock," Jennifer replied.

Dwayne nodded before heading out to tell the general he was back. The three watched them leave before Tera knelt on the floor.

"Looks like it is beginning," Tera murmured.

"Yes, it is. I didn't realize it at first but yes, it is," agreed Justin.

00000

Slate looked over the necklace, amazed at its design.

"I have no idea what purpose it serves Tera. All I really know about it is that I've never seen her without it until now," she mused.

Rusty walked into the room to find Slate staring at the necklace.

"Ooh, pretty necklace. Is it yours?" he asked.

"No, it's not. It belongs to Tera. She lost it during the recent battle with Jewel and Hapar," Slate explained to him.

Rusty appeared slightly confused as he placed a hand up to his chin.

"Then why don't we give it back to her?" he wondered.

"I would Rusty but I have no idea where she is right now. She could be anywhere. If I'm not mistaken, Big Guy's looking for her right now. I brought it here for safe keeping," Slate explained.

Rusty gave a small smile as he walked over to the other room and started to play his game. Slate watched him and gave a small sigh.

_'I'm just glad he didn't want to know more about it,' _Slate thought. _'Maybe we should go out to the Dark Horse and give the Big Guy a visit. Rusty's been itching to go see him and I should talk to Lieutenant Hunter and the others about this.'_

00000

General Thorton looked over the papers before him when he heard a knock come to the door. He was slightly surprised by this action for he wasn't expecting anyone to be out and about.

"Come in," he called out.

Dwyane walked into the room and Thorton gave a small smile.

"Welcome back soldier. So how's our visitor?" he asked.

"I think she'll be fine. Right now, she's in my quarters with Justin and Jennifer. I thought it was best if she stayed there for now," Dwayne replied.

Thorton watched the lieutenant as he sat down in the nearby chair.

"So how did they find out about you?" Thorton asked.

"I don't know sir. They didn't tell me yet," Dwayne replied.

"It's up to you to find out whatever you can Lieutenant. They know about you and we know nothing about them so we need some answers and soon. You're dismissed," Thorton told him

Dwayne raised an eyebrow when he heard the general say that. He nodded his head before standing back up. He started out of the room when Thorton called after him.

"Lieutenant, one more thing," came the general's voice.

"Yes General?" wondered Dwayne.

"Tell them that whoever should find out Tera's secret, they don't have to worry," General Thorton told him.

Dwayne smiled and gave a small nod before heading out the door. Thorton watched him leave before giving word that everything was clear.

00000

Hapar watched the small plane head out over the water. He knew who was inside and what they carried. Jewel stood beside him, a wing on her beak.

"Should we do something about her?" she asked.

"Not yet. I would like to see where she's going first. I have a feeling that she's going to lead us straight to Justin, Jennifer and Tera. Then we can kill them all at once," Hapar replied.

Jewel gave a small smile at what he said before looking back out onto the water.

"I can only imagine the looks on their faces when we find them," Jewel mused.

"I can't wait to see their reactions when they realize they can't do anything to stop me," Hapar said.

00000

Justin and Jennifer sat next to the bed. Tera had now fully changed back to a human and was now hiding underneath the covers.

"This brings a whole new light to the situation. I hope you understand that we can no longer hide from the world and we realize this now. Do you want to rely on the necklace all your life?" Justin asked her.

"No but I guess it's just the idea of it. I haven't told anyone and you know it," came a voice from underneath the covers.

"We didn't want you to tell, remember?" Justin reminded. "Now get some rest. You need it for you need to heal."

The sound of a door caught their attention and the two cats turned to see the lieutenant walking into the room. They gave a sigh of relief as he walked over to them.

"So what do we do now?" wondered Dwayne.

"We wait," Jennifer replied. "But there is something we would like to tell you Lieutenant Hunter."

"Okay," Dwayne replied.

He sat down in a nearby chair, eagerly waiting for whatever the cats wanted to say.

"As you know, Tera needs help. There are two people who can help her but we don't want to force them to help her because of what she is," Justin said.

"Hapar did this to her and to other beings on many other planets. Magic was involved in each transformation and then there's the prophecy," Jennifer started.

"Prophecy?" Dwayne asked, confused.

"Believe it or not, Hapar creates a prophecy for each of his victims. If it should happen to come true, then the person would not be bound by the confines it had before. In Tera's case, if hers should come true, she would be able to go out in sunlight and moonlight without the need of the necklace to prevent the changes," Justin continued.

"What's the prophecy?" wondered Dwayne.

"That we cannot tell for things can be forced but I can assure you, the time is near. It has nearly come to pass. Only one more thing has to happen before it is complete," Jennifer explained.

They were interrupted when Tera gave a cry of surprise. The three looked in her direction to see her pull the cover off her head.

"It's near!" she gasped. "The necklace is near!"

Justin and Jennifer's ears perked up and they soon nodded in agreement.

"Someone has found it and is now here. I have to wonder if Hapar found it first?" Justin said.

Dwayne was surprised for he recognized the voice. His suspicions were confirmed when the figure in the bed turned around to reveal Czarina.

TBC...


	8. Talk of the Prophecy

"Czarina. I should have known. I've had suspicions about it almost from the beginning," Dwayne told her.

He crossed his arms, appearing slightly angry as he stared at the trio. He stepped away from them, unsure how to deal with the situation.

"How?" Justin wondered.

"First of all, there were the stories that both Jo and Tera told me. They were quite simliar if you ask me. Then there's the few times where Czarina disappeared and Tera immediately appeared," Dwayne explained.

Czarina watched him as he walked up to the bed and sat down next to her.

"Now the three of you say the necklace is coming here as we speak and it's close?" Dwayne asked them.

They nodded as Jennifer stood up and walked over to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he glanced up at her.

"But we don't know who has it. For all we know, Hapar might have it and could have somehow found out about this place," she replied.

Dwayne glanced between the two cats before hurrying out the door. The three watched him leave as Justin slightly shook his head.

"Brave man. I just hope that the prophecy has the time to complete itself before Hapar finally kills us and takes back Czarina. Everything is so close," Justin muttered.

00000

Dwayne hurried down the halls, brushing past the people already milling out of their quarters and back to their posts. Dwayne ran up to the room he was in just a few minutes before, talking to General Thorton. He slammed open the door to find the general sitting in the chair. Thorton stood up and placed his hands on the table.

"What the hell is the problem Lieutenant?" he demanded.

"We might have a problem on our hands General," Dwayne replied.

He gasped for air as Thorton carefully watched him. The general sat back down in the chair, carefully watching the lieutenant as he sat down as well.

"I can accept that but what is this possible threat from exactly?" Thorton asked.

"From Hapar. But what I've recently been told by Justin, Jennifer and Tera, someone's on their way here with the necklace that was ripped off Tera's neck last night. They fear it might be Hapar," Dwayne explained.

"Hapar _might _be on his way here?" the general asked, slightly confused.

"They can't tell who has it, just that it's coming," Dwayne replied.

"For all we know, it could be in the possession of one of our own people or even Doctor Slate," Thorton told him.

Dwayne nodded in agreement as he followed Thorton out of the room. The two hurried up onto deck to find a helicopter slowly making its way towards the Dark Horse. Both men gave a sigh of relief.

"It looks like it's not Hapar after all," the general said.

"That's good news but we don't know how long it will be before he really does find us," the lieutenant replied.

Thorton nodded in agreement before starting to head back inside. The lieutenant patiently waited as the helicopter landed and the doctor stepped out.

"Doctor Slate, you don't realize how glad I am to see you," Dwayne told her with a huge smile.

"I don't think you've been more happy to see me Lieutenant. What's the matter?" Slate cautiously said.

Dwayne motioned for her to follow, which she did. She was curious for the lieutenant to explain his actions.

00000

"You can't be serious! Tera's here along with Justin and Jennifer?" Slate cried out.

"They're here all right and they're still in danger though I have one question for you," Dwayne replied.

Slate nodded, motioning with her hand for him to continue.

"Where's Tera's necklace?" he asked.

Doctor Slate was surprised and it showed on her face. She walked over to the bag she brought with her and reached into it. She rummaged through the bag for a moment before pulling something out. Dwayne's eyes perked up in surprise once he saw what it was for the doctor was holding Tera's necklace.

"That's why I was coming here in the first place. I thought it was best if it was here and get another opinion on it as well," Slate replied. "How did you know I had it with me?"

"Let's just say a few friends told me you were coming," Dwayne told her.

Slate was a bit surprised with what he said as he walked across the room. She could tell that he was nervous about something but she couldn't tell about what.

"I still don't think that it's a good idea that Rusty's here right now. I'm afraid he's going to find out something he shouldn't," Dwayne confessed.

Slate gasped for he read her mind. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"If you're worried about him finding out you're Big Guy's pilot, I doubt it will happen. I mean, he hasn't found out yet," Slate assured him.

"Yeah but he was actually told by Neugog, saw me being ejected from the Big Guy and there were several times that he came very close to finding out," Dwayne replied.

He sighed as he sat down in the chair, Slate following close behind. He placed his elbows onto the table and his hands onto his chin.

"I don't know why but there's something different about this time. With the cats and Tera here, they add a whole new aspect to the problem. They know my secret, Slate. I don't know how but they do," Dwayne finally said.

Slate nodded as her gaze went over the necklace. She picked it up and stared at it, somehow entranced. Dwayne glanced over at it and soon became entranced by it as well. A soft mist was soon released from the necklace, engulfing the area beneath their feet. The mild glow that was being produced seemed to hypnotize them as they climbed to their feet and walked away from the table.

It was as if the necklace had a mind of its own when it suddenly stopped glowing and the two fell to the floor in a heap, the necklace landing a few inches away from Slate's hand.

00000

Hapar stood at the open door, gazing out over the Dark Horse. A huge grin had crossed his face as he turned his head enough to see Jewel standing next to him.

"Let's give them a hello they'll never forget. Let them know we're here since it doesn't look like many have seen us yet," Hapar told her.

"Yes, captain," she said.

She started towards the bridge, leaving Hapar to watch the Dark Horse.

"They're here and so is the necklace. I knew the kind doctor would lead us right to them," Hapar murmured.

00000

Thorton walked into the room to find the Rusty talking to the Big Guy. The three members of the Pit Crew were sitting at a nearby table, playing cards. He quietly walked over to them and they looked up at them.

"Have any of you seen Lieutenant Hunter? I need to speak with him about something," the general requested.

The trio glanced at each other before shaking their heads.

"We haven't seen him since the dance last night," Jo replied.

"Probably talking in some room with the doctor, who just came on board," Mack put in.

Their conversation was interrupted by several loud explosions coming from the decks above. A bang came to one of the doors. Jo ran over to it, opening it to find one of the soldiers.

"What's happening up there?" demanded the general.

"We're under attack sir by a space craft. They are demanding we give them Tera but we don't know who she is, let alone where she is, sir," the man replied.

Thorton growled as he gave instructions to the man to keep holding off the attack and that the Big Guy would soon be out to help. He turned towards the Pit Crew just after the man left and the door was closed.

"Find Lieutenant Hunter! We have to get Big Guy out there in order to defend ourselves!" the general ordered them.

The three nodded before running to find the lieutenant.

00000

Jewel hovered above the Dark Horse, carefully watching everyone scramble around the decks. She flew down undetected by the personnel. She silently made her way through the decks, past the people milling the hallways. She walked past a room and glanced inside. Jewel had to step back for she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She smiled as she walked inside to see Lieutenant Hunter and Doctor Slate lying unconscious on the floor.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? I never expected it to be this easy," she muttered.

She walked over to the necklace and picked it up off the floor. She tossed it into the air a few times, staring at the bodies of the lieutenant and doctor.

"Now you will all die. Not even your Big Guy can stop us now," she quietly told them.

She stepped out of the room and began to make her way towards the deck. Once there, she began to flap her wings and headed back towards the ship.

"So how did it go Jewel?" wondered Hapar.

"It went way too easy," she replied.

She held up the necklace for Hapar to see, causing him to give a knowing smile. He took it from Jewel and stared at it for several moments.

"We now have the advantage and they don't know it yet," Hapar said.

00000

Doctor Slate groaned, trying to remember what had happened. She placed a hand on her head as her vision began to clear. She glanced around the room to find the lieutenant still on the floor, unmoving.

"Lieutenant Hunter!" she cried out.

She hurried over to his side, completely forgetting about the necklace. Slate gently touched his shoulder, hoping to get a reaction from him but she didn't. She checked his pulse and she barely caught it.

"What happened? Lieutenant Hunter, are you all right?" she wondered, the distress starting to creep into her voice.

She noticed that he was lying on his stomach and she pushed him over onto his back only to find that he wasn't breathing. She gasped before tilting his head back. She breathed into his mouth, hoping to revive him.

After several tense moments, she wasn't getting anywhere. Tears began to blur her vision as her attempts continued to fail.

"Lieutenant Hunter, don't leave us. Please don't leave me," she whispered.

00000

Czarina restlessly slept in the bed as Justin and Jennifer listened to the noises coming from above them. They grew worried as each moment passed by them, knowing very well that any one of them could be their last.

"I don't know how they did it but they found us," Jennifer said.

She sighed as she stepped towards Justin, who was sitting in a chair with his fingers interlocked. He was leaning forward, elbows rested on his knees and fingers sitting just underneath his chin.

"I know, Jenn, I know. I can't believe that it will end this way, just like we feared it would. I think the only way that Hapar would have no control over her would be if the last part of the prophecy comes true but I don't see that happening in the next several minutes. As far as I know, the good doctor isn't here," Justin sighed.

Jennifer's stare turned towards the porthole, glancing to see the sun's light slowly drifting in through the clouds in the sky as the darkness began to fade away. Rain began to splatter on the windows and the two cats lowered their heads in despair.

00000

Thorton stepped onto the deck as the rain began to fall. He glanced in the direction the ship was located and began to growl. He noticed that Hapar was making his way down towards him.

Hapar landed on the deck, several feet away from General Thorton. The alien smiled as he watched the human.

"Where is she?" Hapar demanded.

"Where is who? I have no idea what you're talking about," Thorton replied.

You know who I'm talking about! Where is Tera? We know she's here," Hapar replied.

Thorton 's eyes narrowed in anger as Hapar held up the necklace.

"You've run out of time. She is ours again. Nothing can save you now," Hapar told him.

Thorton's face slightly turned to a look of confusion as he watched the necklace slightly glow. Hapar didn't appear to notice it in his gloating. Thorton was wondering what was happening and somehow, he knew he wasn't going to like it.

00000

The tears began to flow down Slate's cheeks as she sat next to Lieutenant Hunter. He remained unmoving and it worried the doctor to no end.

"Why does it have to be like this?" she quietly asked.

She placed a hand on Dwayne's shoulder and she was startled as he to cough and gasp for air. He slightly opened his eyes and turned towards her.

"Doctor Slate," he managed to say.

"Lieutenant Hunter, you're alive!" she cried.

"For a few moments, I felt dead. I could hear you, I just couldn't respond. I didn't realize how much you cared about me," he quietly said.

Slate gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. It was true that she did have feelings for the lieutenant but she never thought about revealing it to him. She gave a small smile as she allowed her hand to be grasped by the lieutenant's.

"Doctor Slate, for some strange reason, I have this sudden urge to kiss you right now," he told her.

The smile on her face grew as the tears continued to pour down her face. Dwayne somehow knew she wasn't going to resist as he began to lift himself up as she leaned down. They met halfway as their lips met in a gentle kiss.

00000

Czarina slightly opened her eyes as she began to move around in the bed, the cats not even bothering to look in her direction.

"Justin, Jennifer," she called out.

The two cats perked up and turned slightly to look at her. Both narrowed their eyes, climbing to their feet.

"Czarina, what's wrong?" asked Justin.

"I don't know but something's happening. I feel different," she replied.

The two cats stared at each other in total disbelief.

"You think it might have happened? You think it just might have completed in time?" wondered Jennifer.

"I think we're about to find out one way or another," Justin said.

A bright light filled the room, engulfing the three. When it disappeared, it left an empty room.

00000

Hapar smirked as he watched Thorton.

"Are you ready to give up human?" wonderd Hapar.

"Never! We will not be going down without a fight! No matter where Tera may be, we will help her defeat you," Thorton snarled.

Hapar glanced at the necklace and was surprised to see it brightly glowing. Thorton carefully watched the alien as he paced from side to side.

"No, this can't be! The prophecy is pretty well finished! I thought I had her! She is here nowwhere is she?" Hapar cried out.

A light began to fill the sky above the Dark Horse. Everyone on deck turned in the direction of the light. Hapar growled for he knew what it was.

"The prophecy is complete. I cannot believe it. They only have one thing left to do then," he growled.

The light disappeared and Tera appeared in the sky, angrier than ever, the two cats on her back.

"Looks who's back in action," Tera cried.

Jennifer held out a ball of white light, holding it above the Dark Horse below. Hapar watched her as she dropped it onto the ship below.

"No!" he yelled.

TBC...


	9. The Truth

I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter up. Hope you enjoy it!

00000

The ball of light hit the Dark Horse and immediately engulfed everything and everyone onboard. To everyone onboard, it seemed like time suddenly stood still. All they saw around them was a bright light. It seemed like there was no sense of direction.

When it cleared, Thorton quickly scanned the area to find nothing had changed. Except now, a certain lieutenant and doctor were hovering in the sky beside the pterodactyl and cats.

"It's over! Leave this place forever!" cried Justin.

"Not without a fight!" Hapar snarled back.

He began to advance towards the general, snarling as he went along when a bright light, accompanied with a crackle, landed at his feet. He glanced around to find that five figures now stood by the general's side. Hapar's stare turned towards his ship.

"Everyone attack! We are not going to leave without doing some damage first!" he cried out.

Several figures poured out of the ship on Hapar's cue and began to head towards everyone on board. General Thorton glanced to either side of him to find the cats hadn't left but the pterodactyl was nowhere to be seen. He also noticed that the lieutenant and doctor had disappeared as well.

"Stay behind us General. We can't let you get hurt," Justin told him.

The general said nothing as the sounds of guns being fired filled the air.

00000

Tera carefully made her way through the hallways, Lieutenant Hunter and Doctor Slate hanging onto her back. He was surprised on how well she knew the ship, even after the fact that she knew everything about him and the Big Guy.

"So what just happened anyway?" Slate asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

"The prophecy came true," Tera simply replied.

No more was said as she burst into the hangar, much to the Pit Crew's surprise.

"Dino on deck!" cried Garth.

"Don't worry guys, Tera's known for a long time now," Dwayne told them. "Right now, we have bigger things to worry about."

"Like what?" wondered Jo.

Faint pounding noises began to come from above. They began to increase in intensity when one evidently landed above them.

"Does that answer your question?" the lieutenant wondered.

The three nodded as Dwayne climbed into the cockpit. He waited a few moments, allowing Tera to climb onto the Big Guy's shoulder. He flew out to be greeted by the fire from both sides. Several figures from both sides already lay dead on the deck. Rusty was already there, battling against the alien troops. The boy robot briefly glanced over his shoulder to see that the Big Guy.

"Hey, Big Guy, I'm over here!" Rusty called out.

"No time to talk now sport. We've got an alien to defeat," Big Guy told him.

The Big Guy lifted his hands, revealing the guns on the underside of his arms. Tera flew off his back just as he moved his arms and immediately began to head towards Hapar. Rusty watched her before starting to head after her to help.

"Don't go sport!" cried the Big Guy.

"Why not Big Guy?" demanded Rusty as he managed to stop.

"There is something dealing with Hapar that only she can do. We should do our best to cover her," Big Guy replied.

Rusty stared at him with a confused look on his face but he soon shrugged his shoulders, forgetting about Tera she he continued to battle the aliens troops.

00000

Tera flew after Hapar, who was slowly making his way out towards the open waters on board a hover board. He stopped about 100 feet away from the ship and turned to face Tera.

"You are no match for me. You have no experience compared to me," Hapar snarled at her.

"I can at least try for all the misery you've put me through," she angrily yelled at him.

Tera readied herself, expecting the worst as Hapar pulled out a weapon and fired.

00000

Big Guy punched several of the aliens down to the deck, injuring several of them. Rusty took on many of the flying aliens as the personnel on deck helped. When the aliens backed off, Jewel made her way toward the front of the group.

"You will not win this! We will take over this planet, whether you like it or not and whether or not we have Tera to help us," Jewel yelled at them.

"Somehow, I just don't believe that since we are defeating you. Your troops are no longer able to help you," Big Guy retorted.

"That is a mere problem. We can always get more help if we need," Jewel smirked.

Rusty slowly made his way towards the group but Jewel spotted him and blasted him over the side with a gun.

"Your pathetic tricks won't work with me," Jewel told them.

"You forget one thing," Justin's voice came from behind the Big Guy.

The two cats stepped out from behind the robot's legs and towards the eagle.

"You forget that all who are associated with the prophecy can never be defeated and that they will always have the power to stop you," Jennifer told them.

Jewel growled as she stared at the Big Guy. She studied him through her rage.

"You are part of the prophecy! Why didn't I see it before?" she cried out.

They suddenly heard a flapping of wings and everyone looked to see Tera fly in from the direction of the water. She dropped Hapar to the deck in a heap and landed on the Big Guy's shoulder.

"Hapar! What did you do to him?" demanded Jewel.

"I gave him what he deserved," Tera simply replied.

Doctor Slate stepped out to the Big Guy's side, standing behind Rusty. They watched as Jewel stepped over to her leader and gently picked him up.

"Retreat back into the ship! I have some unfinished business to deal with!" Jewel cried out to the troops.

The alien race began to make their way back into the ship. Jewel turned around as the last one entered the door, heading towards Tera. Dwayne kept an eye on her through the monitors, hoping nothing serious would happen.

Jewel jumped into the sky and Tera immediately followed. Justin and Jennifer glanced up at Big Guy, at Dwayne inside the cockpit.

"No, I'm not going to head after her. She can take care of herself. She's a big, um, dinosaur," Dwayne muttered.

It was as if they heard him for Jennifer climbed onto his shoulder and angrily stared at him.

"Just remember whose life you helped save just now and she still needs your help. She also saved your life a few times before, whether you know it or not," she quietly told him.

Dwayne gulped as he nodded, knowing very well that no one could see him. Thorton's face appeared on the overhead screen and the lieutenant glanced up at him.

"I'm hearing everything lieutenant. Good luck," the general told him.

Dwayne moved the Big Guy into the sky, following the pterodactyl and eagle.

00000

Tera growled as she lunged for Jewel. The eagle dodged out of the way, digging her talons at the pterodactyl and making contact. Tera screeched out in pain, barely noticing Big Guy rising up in the distance. Tera took her arms out and balled them up.

"You will not win Jewel. You can't now. The Big Guy knows about the aspects of being involved with the prophecy. He knows he cannot be defeated," Tera snapped.

"A minor detail," Jewel smirked.

Tera snarled as she headed towards Jewel once again and this time, their talons locked. The two quickly flapped their wings to stay in the air as sparks began to flare up around them. Dwayne could tell that Jewel was slowly overpowering Tera so he knew he had to sooner or later step in between the two.

Dwayne became horrified when Jewel slashed at Tera with her beak, scraping her arms. Tera managed to make it to Big Guy, where she made her way onto his shoulders. The guns within the Big Guy's arms popped out, firing at Jewel. Several grazed her and she slowly limped away from the scene. Tera glanced at the Big Guy.

"Thank you Lieutenant. I owe you my life in more ways than one," she quietly said.

"It's no problem at all. After all, you've helped me several times," the Big Guy's voice boomed.

Dwayne smirked to himself from within the metal body, leaning back in his chair.

" Now let me get you back to the Dark Horse," he muttered to himself.

00000

Slate nervously paced back and forth as the cats, Pit Crew, General Thorton and Rusty watched her. They could tell that she was becoming ever worried and the cats knew why.

"Don't worry Doctor Slate. Tera's got the Big Guy helping her. They won't have any problems with that alien!" Rusty told her.

"I know Rusty but I can't help feeling that something happened," Slate said.

She was repeatedly glancing towards the doors, hoping the Big Guy would walk through at any time. Her wishes were granted when the robot came bursting through the doors, Tera slumped over his shoulder. The pterodactyl jumped onto the floor, holding her bleeding arms out in front of her. The two cats rushed over to her.

"We have to get you some help. You have to transform back," Justin whispered to her.

"Not with the boy robot here," she managed to reply.

Jo hurried over to her, towel in hand and pressed it onto Tera's arm. The blonde received a slightly confused look before smiling.

"You helped Dwayne. That's good enough for me," Jo quietly said.

"Rusty, you'd better get out of here. You're just going to be in the way," Thorton said to the boy robot.

"Come on, why can't I stay?" wondered Rusty.

"Rusty!" Slate sternly said.

Rusty reluctantly headed out the door, glancing over his shoulder along the way. Slate hurried over to Tera's other side and placed a towel on her other arm. The lieutenant quickly made his way out of the Big Guy and down to the group.

"I can't do it Jennifer," Tera whimpered.

"You can. You need help," she replied.

Dwayne took notice that the necklace Tera always wore was no longer there and realized that there was no change just yet.

"What is going on here?" demanded Garth.

"I agree. We've had no answers since the beginning," Thorton said.

Dwayne glanced between everyone, giving a sigh before deciding to speak up.

"And then there's this prophecy you told me about. It looks like it came to be so I'd like to know what the terms of it was," Dwayne told them.

Justin stood up and walked towards him. The two came face to face and neither wavered.

"You really want to know? I'll tell you. The prophecy spoke of a man of rank who rode a metal, lifesaving machine who fell in love with a woman who had a robotic son. They would kiss but once to break Tera's curse of the necklace," Justin explained.

Both Dwayne and Slate were mortified at this news for they knew then that they were the ones the prophecy spoke of. Slate glanced down at Tera, who was now slowly transforming back to a human. Tera glanced at Jo, a sad look on her face.

"Jo, I'm so sorry that I couldn't tell you this earlier," Tera barely said.

"What are you talking about?" Jo demanded.

Jo watched as the wings began to disappear and Justin placed a blanker over Tera and helped her to her feet. Except for Dwayne, everyone was surprised when Czarina's features began to appear over Tera's face.

"Who would've thought?" Mack said.

00000

Czarina lay in the hospital bed, eyes closed and her arms wrapped up with bandages when Jo and Lieutenant Hunter walked into the room. The brunette opened her eyes slightly and smiled once she saw the two.

"Dwayne explained everything to us after you were brought here. I was slightly angry at first that you didn't trust me enough to tell me sooner but now I understand why it had to be that way," Jo told her.

"Glad you're not angry," Czarina quietly said.

"I'm glad everyone's buying the story we told them, that you were touring the Dark Horse and there was an accident," Dwayne told her.

Czarina gave a small laugh as Jo placed a comforting hand on her arm.

"You have so much to tell me once you're feeling better. Just remember that now we know each other's little secrets, we can talk to each other again," Jo said with a smiled.

Czarina nodded as Dwayne placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I never really got a chance to thank you for helping me when I had my broken leg or with the many problems there have been since your arrival," he told her.

"Believe me when I say that you've done so much more for me than what I could ever repay. You and Doctor Slate saved the whole world and almost no one will ever know it," Czarina replied.

Dwayne nodded, knowing that nothing would ever be the same.

The End.

Thank you to all that have read this and for being patient enough for the long time between chapters


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